Author's Note: This takes place during Jethro Bethridge's Welcome to Ponyville party that's glossed over during the events of A Cloaked Heart Chapter 12. Enjoy!

Twilight Sparkle's Perspective

Twilight watched one of her newest friends, Jethro Bethridge, as he straightened the tie around his collar, then brushing off the dust on his pants, then turned to face the door. She, her friends, Spike, Zecora, and Jethro were all outside Sugarcube Corner. It was late afternoon and the sun was moving farther down towards the western horizon. Despite this being a party for Jethro's official welcome to Ponyville, Twilight was still somewhat reeling from all of the revelations she'd heard from Jethro earlier.

How could anypony hold something so painful inside without letting it out for so long? She looked closer at their newest human companion with a mixture of worry and fear. Worry for him, but fear that he might be holding more back. There was still so much she wanted to learn about him, but she knew much better now than to do anything to the human without express permission. He'd been through so much in the past half hour, that all she wanted to do was try and help cheer him up. And hopefully continue to make up for her inaction back at Zecora's house not so long ago.

"Alright, time to face the music," Jethro said as he walked inside the sweets venue. Zecora moved close beside him on his right, and Twilight moved to walk in on his left.

"'Face the music'? What do you mean?" Twilight's inquiring mind made her mouth speak before she could restrain herself.

Before she could apologize, Jethro chuckled. "Just a human saying that means 'Let's start this thing'."

As they entered, the group of Ponies that had gathered all turned and gave happy and polite nods and greetings to them. Pinkie bounded up in front of Jethro and beamed. Suddenly, confetti exploded from somewhere, showering everypony in the room. "Let's get this party started! Welcome to Ponyville, Jethro!" she beamed happily at the now stunned and confettied human.

Spread across one of the wooden beams was a pink banner with the words Welcome To Ponyville Jethro! We're Sorry We Were Meanies Before spread across them. Twilight's heart leapt into her throat at the second part of the message. She glared at Pinkie. "Pinkie, what were you-?!"

"HAHAHA!"

Twilight turned in shock at the sudden belly laugh that filled the room. All the Ponies in the room were watching the source with some confusion. The source was Jethro. He had his hand on his forehead, laughing hard. She grew concerned as it only grew in intensity. Tears streamed down his face as he fell to his knees, still laughing hard. Pinkie bounded over to him, laughing as well. When Jethro saw her, he grabbed her and picked her up. Spinning her around, the two laughed in tandem before he started to slow down, putting her down. "Ahaha…aaah…oh Pinkie Pie…never, ever change, you wonderful mare, you."

"Never!" Pinkie giggled.

"Jethro, are you alright?" Twilight asked, growing a bit concerned for his mental wellbeing.

He wiped his eyes with a kerchief he pulled out of a blazer pocket. "Ah…yeah, don't worry. I just…that banner made me laugh. It was just so…I don't know how to describe it." He turned to the gathered crowd. "Sorry to startle you like that, everyone. But let's get the party going, eh?"

And with that, the mood of everypony in the room became more jovial. A small smile came to Twilight's muzzle. Maybe this would be a good party after all…

Applejack's Perspective

I knew there was something about him that I recognized, Applejack thought as she walked towards the table where all the vittles were. After hearing his story straight from his mouth, she knew just what it had been. The hidden pain and sorrow of losing family and loved ones.

Applejack had lost her mother and father when Apple Bloom was only one or two years old, she remembered. They'd both been fine one morning, and the next both were lying in bed sicker than a dog. The recession they'd been going through at the time hadn't helped matters, since they could barely afford to pay for the treatments. In the end, it hadn't done any good for either of them Applejack had tried to find comfort in the fact that they'd died only a few hours apart, so they were in Elysium together, but it still hurt whenever she thought about it. In a way, she envied Apple Bloom, since she'd never had any memories of her parents to miss.

When she'd heard Jethro's story, her heart reached out to him. She knew just how he felt, but she also felt more compelled to make up for what she'd attempted to do back at Zecora's hut. He had nopony else, but Applejack still considered herself lucky that she had the rest of her family. Jethro had no family or friends back in his old world. She'd meant what she said after Jethro's breakdown, about helping him.

As she chowed down on the apple cupcake, she saw her brother Big Mac and Granny Smith walking up to Jethro, who was surrounded by a few curious fillies who were bombarding him with questions. She wasn't too far away, so she heard her grandma say, "Pardon me, youngun', but kin ah talk to ya fer a bit?"

Jethro paused and looked down at the old Apple matriarch. Applejack swallowed the last of her cupcake, trying to get the lump in her throat to go away as well. She knew what was coming, and decided that it would be best if she was there, too. After all, one of the Apple rules was that nopony should ever run from discipline.

If Applejack had thought Celestia's anger had been terrifying, Granny's had nearly made the poor mare have an accident. It hadn't been the yelling that had gotten to her. It had been the raw disappointment in the old mare's eyes that had caused Applejack to crack. The night after that, she'd done something she hadn't done in many years.

She'd cried herself to sleep.

Coming back to reality, she saw Jethro being moved towards a quieter corner of the room. Applejack rushed over, trying not to run into anypony as she did so. Big Mac saw her running up and his eyes went wide with alarm. "Applejack?"

"Sorry, ah just need tah be here," she said, and she caught Granny's eye. Granny simply motioned her over to her side, which she did.

Jethro looked at the three gathered Apples, and Applejack saw the confusion in his eyes. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Ah heard what mah foalish granddaughter tried tah do tah ya," Granny said without any kind of preamble.

"Eeyup," Big Mac said in agreement.

Jethro's expression changed to become slightly more serious than before. He put his hands in his pockets. "I see."

"Ah'd like tah deeply apologize for that," Granny said, looking the human square in the eyes. Another Apple family rule: when you apologize, never look away. "Applejack here might have had good intentions, but that's no excuse fer harmin' ya."

"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed again, before he added, "I'd like to add on we'd be willin' to give you a place to stay."

Jethro's smile returned. "I appreciate the offer, but when I came to this world, my house also came with it."

"Are yah sure, youngun'?" Granny asked. "Yer in the Everfree Forest, yah know?"

"I'll be alright there," he said. "I have a magical shield up around the house, so nothing can get through unless I say they can. But your hospitality is extremely appreciated, and I won't forget it. And I forgave your granddaughter a while ago." He finally turned to Applejack and gave her a reassuring smile. Applejack gave a weak one in response, lowering her Stetson in a bow before standing up straighter.

"Well, if yer sure, but if ya change yer mind, come find us," Granny said. "If y'all will beg mah pardon…ah see a couple old friends tah talk tah." And with that, Applejack watched as Granny walked towards a couple of older Pony mares.

"Nice meeting you, Mr. Bethridge," Big Mac said politely.

Jethro held out a hand. Big Mac put his hoof in the hand, and Jethro closed his hand around the hoof as the two shook appendages. "Same to you. I like a guy of few words. See you again, sometime, I hope."

"Eeyup," Big Mac said as he let go and began walking away.

Applejack was about to walk away as well when Jethro cleared his throat. She turned. To her surprise, Jethro's face was full of concern. "Miss Applejack, are you okay?" Her ears flattened and she shook her head. "Are you still bothered by what you did?" She nodded. "Talk to me. What's wrong?"

She motioned him to come closer. Something about his screamed trustworthy. When he was close enough, she whispered, "Ah'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?" he whispered back.

"Mahself," she admitted.

He knelt so that he was face to face with her. "Now listen here…sugarcube," he said, using the same term of endearment that her mom had used, "There's no sense in beating yourself up so much. It's just gonna eat away at you day by day. You screwed up, yeah, but you're learning from it."

"Aren't ya scared of me, too?" Applejack asked.

Jethro almost answered, until a devious smile appeared on his face. Quick as a wink, he snatched Applejack's Stetson off of her head. "Guess you've gotta catch me to find out," as he ran into the crowd.

"Why you little-git back here, ya varmint!" she called after him, chasing him through the crowd of Ponies.

She might have had speed, albeit not as much as Rainbow Dash (Not that she'd admit it to the boastful Pegasus), but she was surprised with just how agile somepony who stood on two hooves-no, feet-could be. He weaved and bobbed through the crowd, now actually wearing the Stetson. She had to admit, he looked kinda nice with it on, almost like it belonged on his head just as much as it had belonged on her father's. Despite herself, she had to admit that chasing the human around to get her hat back was fun. She could tell he wasn't doing this to be malicious, and when he stumbled over a small table leg and fell, he was still laughing, especially after Applejack jumped on top of him, pinning him. "Ah got ya now," she said, panting a bit.

Jethro smiled, reached up, took the hat off, and placed it back on her head. "Did that help you feel better?" he asked.

She paused, thinking. "Well ah'll be-you did this on purpose?"

"One way Pinkie and I are alike: I don't like seeing people sad." He reached up and straightened her Stetson. "Besides, it's a party. So, relax. Have a cookie. Cut the rug with some stallion. Have fun, would ya?"

Applejack slowly got off of him, a small smile growing on her muzzle. She began to chuckle, then laugh aloud. She couldn't help it. Something in this stallion's words, and his eyes made her feel like things would be alright in the end.

Rarity's Perspective

Rarity was sipping on some of the best punch she'd ever had at one of Pinkie's little soirees. She'd been wanting to talk to Jethro for a while one on one, but the crowd of Ponies that had been surrounding him had been constant and she hadn't had the time to catch the human stallion alone. She'd seen him talking to Applejack's family, and how he'd led Applejack on a merry goose chase around the party room. He was talking to a couple of mares who were asking him a couple questions. She saw Pinkie nearby, carefully keeping an eye on him with a wide smile.

Finally, as he said his goodbyes, Rarity saw an opportunity. She sashayed her way over (ladies didn't run in this situation), and caught his attention with a wave of her front hoof. "Darling! Over here!"

He turned and smiled. "Rarity! How're you enjoying this little shindig?"

"Pinkie Pie always knows how to throw a good soiree," Rarity replied with a smile. "And you?"

"I haven't been to a real party in many years. I think the last time was for the last birthday before…well, my Trixie left this world," he said, the slight sparkle in his eye dimming a bit.

Rarity's ears flattened. She didn't mean to bring up painful memories for him. Trying to change the subject, she moved closer. "About what I said earlier about the wardrobe offer, I was being serious, you know."

He smiled a bit more at that. "I've seen enough of the show to know you were," he said softly. "It's just a bit strange for me to know anyone to be this generous."

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Rarity asked.

"Back on Earth, generosity isn't as abundant," he explained. "You Ponies have a good thing here. Sometimes it's hard to believe."

Rarity smiled. "Well, believe it. And I won't lie: I'm excited to work on a wardrobe for a new being like you."

He chuckled. "There's always an angle," he said.

Rarity blanched. "Darling, that's not what I meant, I swear-"

He raised his hand, stopping the seamstress mare. "Relax. It was a joke. I know how much you love to work on clothes. It's an endearing trait. Besides, I've seen your work on the show. I wouldn't want anyone else working on my clothes except for you."

She felt her cheeks heating up. "I-I don't know what to say," she said.

He knelt and held out his hand towards her. "How about 'A pleasure doing business with you, Jethro'?"

She chuckled, and extended her hoof towards him. He clasped it and gently shook it. "Quite, darling. Quite."

"I can provide you with a few of my clothes so you can get a feel for what a human is like," he said, standing up. "Also, how good are you with shoes?"

Rarity felt confused. Why would he want something like shoes? "I'm afraid I'm not in the shoeing business."

He pointed to the enclosures around his hooves-no, he called them feet, she had to remind herself. "I mean these. Human feet are very fragile compared to hooves."

"Oh! Those!" She'd been meaning to ask him about them since they were something a bit foreign to her. "Well…I don't normally do it, but I do know a few other businesses around town that might be able to make something like those shoes for you."

He looked relieved. "Thank God. I only have a few pairs, and when these inevitably wear out, I'll be so screwed."

Rarity smiled. It made her happy to know she could finally help earn back this stallion's trust. "Why don't we walk around a bit? I think a few of the owners of those businesses are still here."

"Lead the way, milady," he said with a courteous bow.

She blushed a bit, then began heading towards one of the business-stallions…

Rainbow Dash's Perspective

Rainbow Dash loved to party, and she never missed a Pinkie Pie party. Those were always the best, in her opinion. And this one was one of Pinkie's best by far. The food was twenty percent cooler than it normally was, the party games were as great as ever, and the company was just plain awesome.

As she took a massive bite of a cake slice, she saw the subject of the party with some punch in his hand. They'd been there at least an hour or so, and she'd seen him constantly surrounded by the other Ponies. She'd seen him talking to Applejack and her family, and then to Rarity. Seeing as he was alone now, she decided the loyal thing to do would be to check on him. After what he'd revealed earlier, she couldn't help but feel a bit protective of him despite what she had done to him on their first meeting.

Flying up to him quickly, she stopped just shy of his face. The new resident of Equestria jumped in alarm. "Jesus Christ, Rainbow Dash! You startled me!"

"Ehehe, sorry about that," she said, scratching the back of her neck with her hoof. "Just came over to say hi and see how you're doing."

He chuckled. "I'm doing good, actually. This is my very first Pinkie Pie party, and the show didn't do it justice. Oh, by the way, I've gotta ask." He lowered his voice and grinned. "Did Twilight really eat hot sauce during her Welcome to Ponyville party?"

Rainbow Dash snorted. "Damn right she did! It was hilarious! She drank so much before she realized!"

"Sorry I wasn't there to take a picture of it," he chuckled.

"You own a camera?" Rainbow Dash hadn't known this about him.

"A couple. Here, lemme show you." Rainbow Dash watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black rectangle. He tapped at it, then before she could say anything, he was by her side, his arm around her back. He held the rectangular device out, and to her surprise, she saw a smaller version of herself staring back at it, with Jethro right by her side, smiling. "Say cheese, Dash!" He hit a small white circle on the bottom, and the image on the rectangle froze. It showed a confused Dash looking at the viewer, with Jethro beside her beaming. "There we are. Mankind's first selfie on an alien world."

"Wait…that thing is a camera?" she asked, staring at their frozen images.

"That's part of its function, yes," he said. "It's also a telephone, a clock, a small computer, and a means to play games." He stopped. "Sorry, this stuff would probably be more Twilight's thing."

"That's…awesome!" And Rainbow Dash meant it. Having something like that be all of the things Jethro mentioned. "Can I have one?"

His smile faltered, and he shook his head. "I don't have any more that I can get for you," he said. "This is the only one I have that would work. I have an older one, but it's not worth it. It only lasts for about an hour before it goes dead and needs to be recharged."

"Awww nuts," she said, stamping at the ground sadly.

"Sorry, but they only make these on Earth," he said, a hint of sadness in his voice now.

Rainbow Dash knew that tone. The loyal bit within her screamed to ask the question that the other parts of her, the parts that hated all this sappy feel-good crap, didn't want to. "Do you still miss Earth?" she asked.

Jethro chuckled. "Certain parts of it, and certain people. Don't get me wrong," he added immediately, "I love it here. It's peaceful, relaxing, and the air is a lot cleaner than back on Earth. Not to mention the starry nights are brilliant and dazzling. But I'm used to a few comforts that might be difficult to come by here. Technology that I took for granted is not in my grasp anymore, not to mention meat."

Rainbow Dash winced. She knew he ate meat, of course, but it was still weird to know someone other than Gilda who ate meat. It was just such a foreign concept to her. "Do humans really need to eat meat?" she asked hesitantly.

"From what I've found, yes. There are ways for humans to eat a vegetarian diet without it, but Equestria doesn't have what I need to maintain it."

"Think Twilight could come up with something?" Rainbow asked.

"Maybe," he admitted.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash remembered something from the night that the Princess had laid into them. She nudged him. "Hey, have you ever seen a Wonderbolt competition before?"

Confused, he shook his head. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…I was thinking it'd be something you'd like to see," she admitted.

His confused look turned into a grin. "Why, Rainbow Dash, are you asking me out on a little date?" he asked with a smirk.

Her jaw dropped and she smacked him upside the head. "N-No! Not at all!"

"Aaaahahow," he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head. "Relax, Jesus. I'm just teasing. And no, I've never seen. Maybe going to see one with a good friend would be fun. It'd be like watching an airshow."

"It is an airshow, dumbass," she laughed.

He laughed along with her, then tapped something more into the rectangle. "I mean more like this."

She watched on the small screen as what she could only describe as metal birds flew across the sky with precision she hadn't even thought possible for anybeing other than a Pegasus. She'd seen these planes, as Jethro'd called them, before, but she found them utterly fascinating. According to him, they could go much faster than any Pegasus had ever thought possible.

"That's…so…awesome!"

Fluttershy's Perspective

Fluttershy was sitting in a corner of the room, contentedly sipping on some of the punch Pinkie had made for the party. She was never really one for parties, of course, but she hardly ever missed one of Pinkie's. And she was especially happy to be here to support Jethro, the subject of said party.

She was watching him out of the corner of her eye. Currently, he was talking to Rainbow Dash. He was showing her something on a black rectangular device, something that had obviously captured Rainbow's attention. The smile on his face was a definite genuine one, which contrasted to how much pain she'd seen on his face only an hour ago outside of Ponyville Hospital. She'd never seen anypony so distraught, and it hurt her to see.

Fluttershy had always been a sympathetic crier, but with Jethro, she'd wanted nothing more than to help take all of his pain and suffering away in that one moment of him baring his soul to them. She knew he wasn't just an animal. He was just as smart and intelligent as anypony she'd met. But she'd never seen such repressed sorrow in anycreature before, not even when she'd first found Angel Bunny crying over his deceased parents all those years ago on the edge of the Everfree Forest.

Just thinking about it brought tears to her eyes. She looked down at her reflection in the punch, trying not to cry once more. She was unaware of the presence in front of her until she felt a warmth embracing her. Looking up in shock, she saw a concerned looking Jethro looking back at her. "Fluttershy? Are you okay?" He dabbed at her face with a kerchief.

She sniffed, grateful for how gentle she was being. "I was…just thinking about Angel."

Jethro raised an eyebrow and sat next to her. "Are you sure? Looked like a lot more was on your mind."

Fluttershy might not have been the Element of Honesty, but she never liked to lie to anypony. She shook her head. "I was just…thinking about what you told us before we came here," she admitted quietly. "You looked so sad, sadder than anypony I've ever seen. I wanted to help. Maybe make you smile a bit."

He chuckled. "Don't force yourself, Fluttershy. That's Pinkie's job. But I really do appreciate the thought. It means a lot to me. Your kindness is unparalleled to any I've seen on Earth." He pulled out that same rectangular device he seemed to fiddle with a lot, then tapped on it. "Here, I know something that'll cheer you up."

She looked over at the moving images on the device. As the two of them watched, her heart swelled. She was watching cats and dogs from another world acting all cute and silly. Soon her own sadness was gone, and she was smiling warmly at the antics.

When the images on the screen stopped, Jethro put the device away, a wide smile on his face. "Nothing beats cute animal videos to cheer you up, eh?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Can I see more of these sometime?"

Jethro smiled wider. "Of course!"

Pinkie Pie's Perspective

Eeee! This party is going great! Pinkie was beaming from ear to ear as she'd watched all of the partygoers mingle and talk among themselves. She bounded among the Ponies, making sure they had enough good food and punch and were all smiling and happy.

Of course, she made sure to keep a close eye on Jethro. She'd pushed him gently to meet new Ponies and get to know others around the party, and he seemed to be smiling more than he had earlier at the hospital. That always put a pep in Pinkie's step.

As she'd promised herself, she'd made one of the biggest and grandest parties she'd ever thrown. The Cakes had even helped this time around as a means to help apologize not only to Jethro but to Zecora for their treatment of both of them upon first meeting.

Pinkie was just grabbing another cup of punch when she felt a presence behind her. She turned and saw Jethro looking down at her with a warm smile. Yes! He's smiling! Pinkie was glad to see it. She couldn't stand when anypony was sad. "H, Jethy!"

He smirked. "That's a new one," he chuckled as he reached down towards her, only to stop, then slowly pull back. "Thanks for all the party stuff around, party girl."

Pinkie was a bit concerned about his hesitation to touch her, but then she remembered what Fluttershy had done. Note to self: check to see if Flutters is doing okay, Pinkie thought to herself. "I promised you an epic bash, and I always deliver!" she beamed.

"And an epic bash it is," he chuckled.

"Are you having fun?" she asked hopefully.

"Damn right I am!"

"Yay!" Pinkie bounced up and down happily, smiling wide.

She was happy to see Jethro's own smile broaden in response. "What's your favorite thing to do at a party?" he asked her.

Pinkie continued bouncing. "Everything, silly! Pin the Tail on The Pony, the food, everything!"

"I shouldn't be surprised. You make fun and laughter as easy as Pinkie Pie." He chuckled to himself, like he was telling himself some personal joke.

"Oooh! I like that! Can I use that?" Pinkie asked.

"Knock yourself out," he chuckled.

"Um…why would I do that?" Pinkie asked, stopping her bouncing and looking at me with a confused expression. "Sounds like it would hurt."

Jethro laughed. "Sorry, it's a human expression. It means you can go ahead."

Her smile returned. "Sweet! I'm gonna go check on everypony else. Have fun, Jethy!" And with that, she bounced away.

Spike's Perspective

I wonder where Jethro went to? Spike wondered as he removed the blindfold on his head from his most recent Pin the Tail on the Pony game he'd just played with a few of the fillies at the party. He'd arrived a few minutes before the party was supposed to officially start with Twilight, but when the guest of honor hadn't shown up, she'd gone to try and look for him with the other Elements of Harmony as well as Zecora. Mayor Mare had told them about how he'd taken a seriously wounded mare to the hospital, so they'd all gone. Twilight had insisted that he stay behind and just enjoy the party.

Forty minutes had passed before the resident alien had come back with the others. Spike's sense of smell was better than that of anypony he knew, and he could smell salt from Jethro. His scent was unlike anything he'd ever smelled before, but the extra salt he was smelling came from his face. He'd smelled that salty type of smell before from Twilight, especially when she'd whipped herself so much into a frenzy that she'd cried a bit. He was concerned for the strange biped.

In a way, he related to Jethro. He wasn't a Pony, he stood on two legs, had claws, or hands in his case, and even now, there were a few Ponies in town who gave him odd looks. Spike wasn't a baby, he was smart enough to know when Ponies were judging him. And Jethro probably had it ten times worse.

As he walked over to the picture of the Pony on the wall filled with holes, he heard solid hooffalls behind him. "Pin the Tail on the Donkey? Oh no, wait, it's Pony," Jethro's amused tone said.

Spike turned and looked up at the tall human creature from before. "Yeah, that's right," he said.

"Haven't played that game in years, not since I was, oh, how old…like ten or something?" Jethro stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Really? It's super fun!" Spike exclaimed.

"Heh, I bet it still is," he said.

"Wanna play?" Spike held up the purple blindfold he'd been using.

Jethro waved his hand. "Nah, I've had too much punch to be spun around. I'll be sick if I do."

Spike nodded in understanding. He normally played this game before he ate or drank anything too much so he wouldn't experience the same thing. "I hear that," he chuckled.

"You having fun here, dragon-boy?"

Spike stopped, gaping at the human. Nopony had ever called him that before, but judging by the warm smile on Jethro's face, it wasn't meant as an insult. He grinned. "Oh, I am, monkey-stallion."

He threw back his head and laughed hard, causing a few nearby Ponies to look over at the two of them with confusion. Jethro stopped laughing just a bit later, looking down at Spike while wiping some tears from his eyes. Spike's nostrils were once again assaulted with the smell of salt, and there was no doubt about it. He'd been crying earlier. "Humans don't use the word stallion or mare. We use man and woman. So the appropriate term is monkey-man. And you're the only one who gets to use that word with me."

Spike grinned. "Monkey-man it is."

Jethro reached down and pat the little drake on the head. "That's the spirit, little dragon-boy."

"Hey! You'll mess up my spines!" Spike glowered at Jethro, who only seemed all the more amused.

"Oh, please. You look good like you are," he said. "At least you're not like Smaug."

"Smaug? Who's that?" Spike asked.

Jethro grinned. "A fictional dragon from an epic fantasy novel. Whoo, boy. One of these days, Spike, I've got to read The Hobbit to you."

Twilight Sparkle's Perspective

Twilight had been waiting to get a chance to speak to Jethro all evening, but she'd never gotten the chance. She was still suppressing her natural curiosity, but not all of it could be forced down. She watched as he spoke a bit with Spike. She was happy to see the two bonding, and almost snickered when Jethro messed with his spines. After a while, the human and her number one assistant parted ways. Seeing her chance, Twilight made her way over just as Jethro was refilling his punch. "Jethro!" she called out.

He turned and saw her approaching. "Twilight, how's it going? Enjoying this party?"

"Better than mine," she admitted sheepishly.

"Well, I haven't seen any hot sauce around lately," he snickered.

Twilight's cheeks went red from embarrassment. She still couldn't believe she'd mistaken a bottle of hot sauce for something to drink at her own party. Then again, she had to remind herself that she'd been distracted with the return of Nightmare Moon. "Thank Celestia for that," she chuckled.

"Did you really burst into flames?" he asked.

"Is that what…the show…showed me doing?" she asked quietly.

He chuckled. "Yeah, pretty much."

She sighed, then shook her head. "No, I didn't burst into flames."

"Ah, I see." He smiled at her. "You been doing alright in general lately?"

She nodded. "Oh, yes! I've been compiling a bunch of questions to-" she stopped herself, and looked away. "Um…sorry, I guess it's a bit too early for that, isn't it?"

"I don't mind answering a few questions about me and my race. You forget," he said, holding up the device he called a cell phone, "I've got access to human history."

That did it. The excitable mare squealed and jumped up, clapping her hooves excitedly. "I can't wait!" She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "But…it can wait until sometime later."

"If you don't mind, yeah," he chuckled. "I'm having fun, sure, but I'm getting a bit drained from all the events of the day."

Her ears flattened. She'd never seen anypony so distraught before, and it had hurt her to see. She was new to friendship, but she wanted to help him recover from whatever had happened to him all those years ago. Losing a family and loved one in only a few years couldn't have been good for his mental health. He needed friends, and she was hoping she'd accept him and hers as his own. "I see," was all she could say.

"Hey, don't look upset," he said softly, kneeling to face the purple Unicorn. "You all were there listening to me when you didn't need to. I didn't realize just how badly I needed to tell somebody about this. So don't be sad."

"It's hard not to be," she admitted. "Your world sounds like a harsh place."

"Yeah, it can be," he admitted. "But it's also a beautiful place. Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, the Grand Canyon, formed over millions of years of evolution, the Marianas Trench, deepest part of the ocean, Crater Lake, an entire lake formed from the collapsed caldera of a volcano that blew itself apart thousands of years ago, and so much more. Equestria has its own dangers too, you know. Case in point, the Everfree Forest."

"Hmm, I guess you have a point there," she said. Wanting to change the subject, she asked, "Um, I never got to ask this before, but what do you think about Equestria?"

He looked a bit thoughtful. "It's…much different than my world. But in many ways, it's the same. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I didn't end up in a place like Westeros or Skyrim, but it's a lot to get used to. I've got Zecora to thank for helping me get used to a lot of things around this world. And that was before our meeting. She's a knowledgeable mare. One thing that I have found surprising is the apparent lack of religion here. Then again, when two Alicorn goddesses literally create the day and night cycle, that's to be expected."

"Hmm…I mean, I have heard of some cults that worship Princess Celestia," Twilight said. "Did you ever subscribe to any religion on Earth?"

"When I was younger, I was part of a religion called Christianity," he said. "My parents and I would go to church every first Sunday of the month as well as religions holidays. They preferred a more personal time of worship. For years, they would keep our TV and computer off on most Sundays so we could have a quiet house. I'd normally just pick up a book to read or go and play with Trixie outside."

"And do you subscribe to this religion now?" Twilight asked.

"Not so much anymore," he said. "I don't really go to church, anyway. But on Sundays, there are times when I stay away from electronics just to decompress from them."

"Hmm…I see…so what are religions like on Earth, and how many are there?"

"Well, to answer the second question first, there are a lot of religions," he replied. "There are plenty of religions on Earth. Some follow actual deities, while others are kinda like what your Tenets of Harmony are like, a system of belief that flows out in your day to day dealings." He stopped at that, a small smile forming on his face. "Come to think of it, your Tenets of Harmony are a lot like something called the Fruits of the Spirit."

"Really? What are those?" Twilight asked.

"'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.'" To Twilight, it sounded as if he was quoting something. "That's from the Book of Galatians from the Christian Bible. There's also the Golden Rule: 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'"

Twilight was beaming now. So much new and exciting information! "Do you have a copy of this…Bible of yours? One that I can borrow?"

He seemed to hesitate at that, and Twilight was afraid she'd stepped her hoof on something that might offend the human. "I do," he admitted, "but I'm not sure you'd like everything that's in it."

"Why not? I love a lot of books," she said. "Why wouldn't I like this one?"

"There are a lot of mature themes in there," he said. "And some of the stories are pretty gruesome, bloody even. I'm not sure you'd be able to handle it. No offense."

Twilight hesitated. She'd read plenty of books on ancient wars and stuff like that, but they'd never been detailed enough. Just names of famous generals, dates, locations, and other stuff that made it seem more like a list than anything else. "Oh, I see. No offense taken."

"However, if you'd like, I can sit down and talk with you more about it," he offered.

Twilight's good mood came back. "Yes please!"

Inn Keeper's Perspective

It had been a slow night that night at the Ponyville Inn. Inn was a middle aged Earth Pony mare with dark gray fur, light mauve mane and tail, and dark purple eyes. Her cutie mark was that of a bed and ledger. She was sitting in front of the desk, counting the day's profits. Nopony really traveled through Ponyville often enough. A few of the Ponies who came to the inn were looking solely for a romantic rendezvous with more privacy, especially since the rooms were soundproofed and the inn was on the edge of the town.

It was ten minutes until the end of her shift. Her relief, a stallion named Dusty Mane, was due to arrive any minute for the midnight to noon shift, when she heard the door open. Inn turned to greet the newcomer when she saw just what had entered her inn. At first, she didn't quite recognize the tired looking creature as it stumbled towards the desk, but then she remembered the gathering from a while ago at the edge of town. This was that human creature that had caused so much of a ruckus back when Zecora had visited their town. She'd been invited to his Welcome to Ponyville party by the resident pink party Pony, but had been unable to attend since she'd been at work.

Putting on her best customer service face, she smiled. "Welcome to the Ponyville Inn. Room for how many?"

"One, please," the human said. "And, if possible, do you have a bed that'll fit me? I'm a bit taller than Ponies." He chuckled a bit self-deprecatingly.

Inn Keeper had to think a bit on that. There was a room that could definitely fit him, but it hadn't been used in ages. She still kept it clean, but it had been a week since she last had done it, so it might have been a bit dirty. That, and she normally charged extra for it, especially since it was for when traveling Griffins came through. "We do have one room like that, but it's a bit more expensive. If you'd like, I can get you a multiple bed room and we can push the beds together."

The humans shook his head. "There's no need to trouble yourself. I probably wouldn't be able to sleep if I was on two beds like that. I'll pay extra for the room."

"Well, if you're sure…" Inn said hesitantly.

"I'm sure, don't worry," the human said. "How much do I owe you for one night?"

She named the normal price, which was 160 bits, he handed her the required number of bits, then she handed him the large metal key to the room, told him where it was, then watched as he trudged tiredly up the stairs. She chuckled a bit when she heard him open the door, then shut it behind him. "Another satisfied customer," she said to herself, taking the bits and making her way to the safe…